Shopkins Li'l Secrets by Moose Toys

Thank you so much for all of the words of comfort and affirmation in the last review.  I love this community.  You guys keep me sane.  As if things in the world weren't explosive enough already, Andy and I spent the last week thinking about whether or not we should move to another state.  We'd like to be closer to our kids, and as nice as New Jersey is, it doesn't really feel like home.  So that's a whole thing.  I'm actually on a train right now, headed back to New Jersey after looking at a house that we're considering.

Being on the train gives me an excellent chance to finish up this review, though!  It's been in the works for too long.  Back in November, when I reviewed Polly Pocket, I got an anonymous comment encouraging me to look at the Shopkins Li'l Secrets.  These are discontinued miniature playset toys with the same basic idea as the Polly Pocket compacts--but with a locking mechanism feature on the cover.  Sounds pretty cool, right?  I thought so.  I purchased a few Li'l Secrets sets right after reading that comment, and have been eager to investigate ever since!

Shopkins Li'l Secrets by Moose Toys, 2018.

Sunday Surprise: Toy Box Monthly Subscription!

I'm sure many of you have heard of subscription boxes like Loot Crate and Birchbox.  The idea is that you sign up to receive a mystery box of stuff every month.  These subscriptions have become so popular, it's now possible to get boxes with just about any theme you can imagine: pet supplies, books, cosmetics, food, crafts...and toys.

My son and I tried a subscription a few months ago called The Mystery Experiences Company.  This company sends out a detailed mystery to be solved every month--each with little puzzles, artifacts and clues to help with the solution.  This was fun, but we discovered quickly that we didn't have the time or patience to dig into a complex new mystery every month.  When I was canceling the mystery subscription, I spotted Toy Box Monthly.  For $20 ($15 plus shipping), this company sends a little box of mystery toys every month.  This sounded like the perfect thing for the Sunday Surprise!

I should mention right off the bat that the Shopkins Lil' Shoppie shown below did not come in the subscription box.  So why am I showing you a picture of her?  Well, I didn't want to give away what was in the subscription box (that would ruin the surprise!) but also, these Shopkins items will make an appearance at the end of the post.  That's all I'll say for now.

Shopkins Rainbow Kate ($5.49) and a Happy Places blind box ($2.99).